Ron Blancarte

Software Engineer

 175 Forest St
Arlington, MA 02474

Downloadable Resume – Click Here

Executive Summary

A software engineer with over 6 years of experience, with demonstrated expertise in firmware and embedded software for industrial applications.  Designed, developed and maintained software for multiple product lines of oil and gas drilling instrumentation.  Developed new system architectures and integrated prototype platforms for radio and calibration equipment, leading to new technical offerings for customers.  Shaped strategic growth and technology planning during a major expansion period of a small company. Leveraged various open source technologies, and provided network and system administration support.  Expanded knowledge base through hobbyist interests in Open Source Projects and iOS programming.

Technical Skills

  • Languages – C, C++, Java, Javascript, HTML, CSS, Objective C
  • Tools – Keil µVision, Arm-MDK, Eclipse, Subversion, VMWare, Xcode
  • Operating Systems – Windows, Linux, OSX, FreeBSD, Keil RTX Kernel, FreeRTOS, iOS
  • Architectures – Arm11, Cortex M Series, x86 Architecture, Apple iPhone
  • Protocols – I2C, SPI, RS232, RS485, ZigBee, 802.11, Ethernet, CAN
  • Other – Network/Systems Administration, ZFS, Open Source Software Packages

Professional Experience

Bench Tree Group

Georgetown, Texas
Software Engineer
2006- 2012

  • Developed and maintained software, firmware and hardware for a multi-million dollar manufacturer of drilling tools for the oil and natural gas industries.
  • Lead teams responsible for the delivery of new products, including the Downhole Processing Unit, Orientation Module Calibration Stand, and YCR Exp Wireless system.
  • Worked with customers to provide top-level product support, discuss feature upgrades and additions and maintain product lines.
  • Pivotal in growth of company and engineering department, with product lines becoming key components in increased sales and taking part in a fivefold increase in the engineering department.
  • Provided in-house tools for and acted as a technical contact for the repair and customer support departments.
  • Establish standards for software development and organization within the company.
  • Researched new hardware and software technologies for use within the engineering department.

Major Projects and Accomplishments

  • Downhole Processing Unit (DPU) – Was the software developer and secondary hardware engineer for Bench Tree Groups initial downhole control product.  The project required reverse engineering a competing product to replicate all operational functions; orientation module and other sensor interfacing, surface receiver communication, both via single wire serial communications at the surface, as well as mud-pulse telemetry in sub-surface operations.  Once the reverse engineering was complete, the software for the DPU was written completely from the ground up, with a completely unique code base.  Upon completion of software, worked with the hardware engineers to develop new functionality, both in hardware and software.  Because of this work, the DPU became one of the leading product lines, not only for Bench Tree, but also for their market segment as well.
  • Orientation Module Calibration Stand Electronics – Lead firmware designer on a team that launched a new business area to provide calibration services. Selected Bench Tree-developed hardware components for calibration stand and provided interface specifications to lead electrical engineer.  Designed calibration stand architecture to evaluate up to 6 orientation modules simultaneously; new architecture also enabled higher accuracy measurements to be acquired to support specification requirements. Developed and executed test procedure to validate calibration stand. With the opening of the calibration lab, Bench Tree became the top provider of calibration services for the market segment.
  • YCR Exp – Developed the second-generation wireless Yard Cable Replacement radio system for a remote monitor for a pump pressure transducer.  This system improved upon the initial YCR system to add a long range WiFi link to the BTR Receiver, along with the YCR’s wireless transducer interface, in a single radio solution. Identified commercial components for new system, and assembled and tested prototype package.  Documented system design and assembly procedure and worked with marketing department to communicate new system capabilities to customers.
  • Fostering Company Growth – Provided continuity in company processes and intellectual property after the departure of principal engineer of the company and at the start of a major growth period for the company.  Mentored new employees as the engineering department grew from 3 to 12 people.  Provided ongoing consulting for effort to re-factor code base to support generic Linux based devices to support product line expansions.

 

Education

Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences
The University of Texas at Austin, Texas 2006